Benzinga | Dec 7, 2021 12:49PM EST

Pfizer, Merck COVID-19 Pills US Launch In This Month; Other Countries Will Have to Wait: WSJ

In a race with Merck & Co Inc (NYSE:MRK) to get antivirals to market, Pfizer Inc (NYSE:PFE) CEO Albert Bourla told the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council that he expects its antiviral pill will hit the U.S. market before the end of this month.

* Data from Pfizer's pill, Paxlovid, showed an 89% reduction in COVID- 19 related hospitalization or deaths in an interim analysis compared to placebo in patients treated within three days of symptom onset.

* Pfizer also previously said the U.S. would pay $5.29 billion for 10 million courses of the treatment.

* Merck, meanwhile, narrowly won the backing of an FDA AdComm as panelists centered their questioning on the Merck pill's efficacy and the cause of this drop-off in preventing hospitalizations and deaths, from 50% to 30%.

* Most of the supply deals publicly announced have been for rich countries.

* Public-health experts have expressed concern that the pills will arrive months later in emerging countries and delay treating people.

* Generic versions of Pfizer's pill won't come to low- and lower-middle-income countries until at least mid-2022, said Charles Gore, the Medicines Patent Pool executive director.

* Adding to the challenges, most low-income countries lack adequate testing and diagnostic tools to identify patients early enough for the treatments to help.

* The WHO said that the ACT-Accelerator, will need $3.5 billion from donors to help supply COVID-19 therapeutics until next September. So far, it has received $39 million.

* Price Action: PFE shares are down 0.34% at $51.31, MRK shares are down 1.87% at $72.05 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.